Craig's ADHD Story
I was diagnosed with ADHD in 2015 at the age of 36. My wife noticed that I exhibited the symptoms and tried to get me to talk to my doctor about it, but I didn't feel like that made any sense. If I had ADHD, then what was I supposed to do about it? Surely I am who I am.
Eventually, relationship challenges overwhelmed me, and I spoke to my doctor because I was desperate for solutions. My doctor confirmed that my symptoms were typical of ADHD but said that a diagnosis would require more testing. A specialized clinic in Toronto confirmed our suspicions and started working with me on treatment. YES! There was treatment!
The clinic and I started exploring a regimen of medication, coaching, and daily exercise. My struggles with organization, focus, impulsivity, and memory were turned on their head. While these challenges have waxed and waned over the years, the message is that there is hope.
My background is in coaching sales and management personnel, but my move to Barrie presented an opportunity for change. Having transformed my life primarily through coaching, I wanted to give back in the same way. Having studied Advanced ADHD Coaching at the ADD Coach Academy (ADDCA) I now practice as an ADHD coach to help you find your way back to hope.
#MidLifeDiagnosis #Business #InattentiveADHD #Depression #Anxiety
I am in Barrie. I can help. I am: $150/hour - video call | $190/hour - in person
Bari's ADHD Story
I was diagnosed with ADHD many years after both of my children were diagnosed. I started to seek a diagnosis for myself while getting certified to become an ADHD Coach. Everything I was learning about ADHD was like reading my own life story.
For most of my life, I struggled. I was unable to follow through on plans and could not concentrate for an extended period of time. I felt like my mind was a chaotic whirlwind of thoughts. Anxiety got in the way of achieving my goals. I had trouble starting, switching, or sticking to tasks. I would hyper-focus on something and then three months later, lose interest. Sleep problems bogged me down. My working memory was a challenge at work and home. Low self-esteem and imposter syndrome plagued me and I often felt like a failure. I spent a substantial amount of time trying to identify why I was so different.
My background is in teaching. Having two master’s degrees in education gave me the knowledge and expertise I needed with Executive Function issues (EFD) to coach my clients. All people with ADHD have challenges related to executive function. ADHD often coexists with EFD, amplifying difficulty in areas such as: academic performance, workplace challenges, relationships, and routine tasks.
Society is focused on knowledge in work and academics. Knowledge is only a small portion of what makes us happy, fulfilled, and successful. The social-emotional part is a much greater portion.
If you have ADHD, ADHD-like symptoms, Executive Function issues, time management problems, procrastination, or lack of motivation, get in touch.
#ExecutiveFunction #ParentofADHDkids #LateDiagnosis #Inattentive #ActionPlan #NewYorkCity
I am in New York City. I can help. I am $125/hour video call | $165/hour in-person
Isabella's ADHD Story
I was diagnosed after my eldest daughter was diagnosed with ADHD. My youngest daughter was diagnosed before us with autism. I noticed that I was a lot like both of my kids which led me to realize that I must be neurodivergent too.
I have an inattentive presentation of ADHD. The struggles I have faced with ADHD have impacted my employment, career, and motherhood. Masking and people-pleasing were huge challenges that took a lot out of me. Procrastination and distraction created ongoing turmoil in my career. While I have maintained a position in teaching over the years, I have also moved from vocation to vocation as I constantly looked for new and interesting things. I started out with a burning passion for hospitality, I have studied tourism, and later on, I spent time in sales. On top of that, I was on a constant search for my next dopamine rush, moving to yet another continent and learning foreign languages.
I dealt with all of this, meanwhile facing the challenges of being a busy single mother and living with the comorbidities that come from my ADHD. Though I have always been told that I am very bright, I stood out for being disorganized and distracted. I got tired of hearing I should "just try harder" and decided to work with my ADHD and not against it.
I came to coaching while searching for a coach for my daughter. I wanted someone she could relate to and talk to openly, someone that would not judge her and would understand her needs and struggles. I wanted to provide her with the tools I had not been provided in my own childhood. This search lead me to the ADD Coach Academy (ADDCA), the school that had wonderful reviews and that all the coaches I liked came from. At that precise moment, I decided to be a coach, to help not just my daughter but all of the people that needed help with ADHD.
Having now studied coaching through ADDCA and getting certified as AACC (ADDCA Associate Certified Coach), I realize how many people are alone with their struggles and how long the waiting lists for a good coach are.
#SingleMom #German #Spanish #Polish #English #Business #Autism
I am in Panama City. I can help. I am: $130/hour video call | $170/hour in-person
Kelly's ADHD Story
I was diagnosed with combined (Inattentive and Hyperactive) ADHD about five years ago, and this year also learned that I am on the spectrum. I’m a high functioning aspie.
I think I always knew I was “different”. As a kid it hurt to get left out of friend groups, and to be the last one picked for a team in gym class. I was a hyperactive kid that often was sent to the principal or put in detention for talking during class, not staying in my seat or getting into things I wasn’t supposed to. Things didn’t get any better as the years went on. I hate small talk, and often would overshare and that led to others feeling uncomfortable. I was told my emotions were “too much” or I was too “intense”. There is a term in the neurodiversity world termed masking, and I learned to do this at a very young age just to stay under the radar. It takes soooo much energy!
My diagnosis came as I was taking a class at a nearby university, and asked for an accommodation, as my grade was falling fast. I was referred to the school psychologist who granted the accommodation, and added as I was getting up to leave “Oh, and by the way, you also have ADHD”. Lightbulb moment.
My autism surfaced this year and was discovered along with my counselor, as I was trying to figure out why I can’t maintain friendships, or why others look at me like I have three heads when I can’t vary from certain routines. But what I’ve taken away from these discoveries is that I’m not “broken” nor was I bullied or made fun of because there is anything inherently wrong with me. I just am socially inept, and don’t get all the social rules. That’s okay. Today, my desire is to keep learning about neurodiversity, and become the best advocate I can for others as they learn to navigate their own journey.
After my initial diagnosis, I knew I needed support and sought out an ADHD coach. It was one of the best decisions I made. After some time, I then enrolled at ADDCA (The ADD Coaching Academy) and earned my AACC Coaching certification. I am still learning and growing but am so excited to see where my path leads in the coming years. I am an ADHD coach with the ADHD Company, and also work full-time for a non-profit organization in Human Resources. I live in Florida, and some of my favorite things are raising chickens (I have about 40), beekeeping, cooking, running and enjoying a good cup of tea.
#Dyscalculia #HR #CombinedADHD #Autisim #Faith
Belle's ADHD Story
I was diagnosed with ADHD in 2017; I was in my eleventh-grade year at high school. I had been referred to a psychiatrist through my family doctor for concerns about depression, not ADHD. However, I only had a couple of sessions with the psychiatrist before he told me that he thought I had ADHD. He said it very casually, as if it was so obvious that I should already know.
The diagnosis didn't really click with me at first. I had never even considered that I could have ADHD. When I thought about ADHD, I pictured young, energetic boys who couldn't sit still in class and got terrible grades. I always got excellent grades (except sometimes in gym and French), I loved to read, and I'd been working at the same job for more than a year. I only started to put the puzzle together once I did some research on my own. I learned about inattentive and combination presentations of ADHD. I began to connect it to my life and realize how often I'd leave things around, or lose track of the time, or pick up a new hobby and forget about it after a week. Still, though, I didn't do very much about it. It felt more like a personality type, a label - like the Myers-Briggs test - than something to worry about.
The diagnosis festered until a family member who also had ADHD began to talk to me about their experiences. I started to realize how much of an impact my ADHD was having on my life. I was getting good grades because my brain would send me into overdrive the night before something was due. I was constantly late, even when I tried my hardest to be early, because I was experiencing time blindness. I described myself as "an open book" because I had no filter in conversations, not because I was just really trusting. Everything snowballed from there. I sought out specialized ADHD treatment and began taking medication. By being kind to myself, focusing on realistic goals, and working with my ADHD rather than resisting it, I've become a successful university student. Some days are harder, longer, and sadder than others, but I discovered a special, unbreakable faith in myself and my abilities.
As a coach, I work with anyone, but especially teenagers and young adults who are struggling, like I was, in this very transitional time in life. I'm passionate about showing you what you can do if you believe in yourself. My background includes twenty hours of coach training with the Coaches Training Institute, and many more hours of experience as a coachee myself.
#Student #HighSchoolDiagnosis #InattentiveADHD #Depression
"I was diagnosed (not officially) at the same time as my youngest son. As we concluded an exhausting assessment with my son's pediatric psychiatrist, she turned to me and my partner and asked, 'So, which one of you has ADHD?' Timidly, I replied, 'I think it's me.' She confirmed, 'Yes, it's definitely you!' To which I responded, 'Gee, thanks.' Then, she said the single most important thing I've heard on my journey: 'No, it's good. I have ADHD, and as long as you manage it, you'll be fine. AND if you want to help your kids, help yourself first.'
It felt as though the world stopped and all the puzzle pieces of my disordered life fell into place. Suddenly, I had an answer, and it wasn't that I was lazy, crazy, or stupid. I just had a different brain. It all made sense, to the point where it was so obvious that I now feel a bit embarrassed about it. I proceeded to read anything I could get my hands on. I went on a journey that included being mad at the world and sadness for all the things that could have been, had I known. I'd spent a lifetime as a misunderstood, underemployed, and disorganized woman. I moved from job to job until I had a child and then four more. I was the hot mess mom (and not in the cute way). I forgot to hand in field trip forms, pick kids up from school, and the five o'clock dinner hour was a nightmare. Adulting was causing me serious anxiety. My marriage suffered. My emotional regulation was wreaking havoc on our family and being met with the same from my children.
I get ADHD. I know what it feels like to not be able to find my keys, upset friends and family because I showed up late or forgot completely, and put off doing school assignments and work projects until the last minute. I know the feeling of not quite fitting in and wondering what is wrong with me and questioning why it is so easy for everybody else. Whether you are an individual looking for more order and calm, a student looking to start getting the grades you are capable of, the couple who wants to communicate better, or the exhausted parent worried every time you get a call from the school, I've got you. Better yet, I can facilitate the kind of change where you've got you. I work from a strength-based model to help you figure out your ADHD brain and how to make it work for you.
My process includes determining your strengths, values, and goals and aiding you in building a life you want. One that allows you to be all that you are meant to be. We'll work through barriers and self-limiting beliefs (don't worry, I'll be right by your side). We'll tackle procrastination and perfectionism to generate a workable plan so you can get from where you are today to where you want to be. I'll be your coach, cheerleader, accountability partner, and tough love girl as you take one baby step after another to move towards the life of your dreams. I combine my lived experience as a late-diagnosed ADHD woman and mother of several ADHD kids (launched to elementary school) with my advanced ADDCA training to provide you with a robust and transformational coaching experience. I coach teens, college students, adults, and couples with ADHD. Psst. The first step is the hardest, but you can do this."
#latediagnosis #parent #kids #teens #couples
I am in Edmonton. I can help. I am: $150/hour - video call | $190/hour - in person
I was diagnosed with ADHD as a result of my daughter’s diagnosis.
I recognized myself in her psychologist’s notes. I knew that ADHD was highly heritable. I knew that my brother had taken Ritalin as a kid. I thought ADHD was only physical hyperactivity. Thankfully, my significant other was well versed in the subject and encouraged me to be tested.
Since then, I have seen my story talked about so many times on social media that it feels cliché: the 40-something mother diagnosed with inattentive-type ADHD as a result of a child’s diagnosis. But it’s real, and it changed my life.
The diagnosis came at a time in my life where I was really struggling. Within six months of my ADHD diagnosis, I was also diagnosed with major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, a triple diagnosis that astounded me. I was the golden child growing up, successful at anything she tried. This new reality rocked my sense of identity.
It took time to see and accept all the ways that ADHD had impacted my life. Moving across the country from my family on a whim. Starting a new to-do app every three months. Rearranging furniture in my bedroom every six months. Changing who I was depending on who I was with. Talking so fast no one could understand me. Constantly playing with my hair and nails. Living day to day on a wing and a prayer with no routine to ground me. Feeling emotions so big that they would disrupt my life and throw me completely off course.
My treatment journey has been slow. I was coached unofficially by my ever-patient significant other. I saw a therapist. I started a medication and then another and then another until we found the right one. I clawed my way out of a depression. I built routines one brick at a time. It’s been a journey that’s so much “more” than I could ever put into words. Unexpected, difficult, glorious, adventurous.
Along the way, I found a version of myself that is truly me, and I know that she’s not done growing yet. This past year, I added coaching fundamentals and mental health first aid training to my 16 years of experience in nursing with even more learning to come. I love the journey, I know you will too, and I’m here as a coach to walk it with you.
#latediagnosis #inattentiveADHD #ADHDwomen #anxiety #depression
I am in Barrie. I can help. I am: $50/hour - video call | $90/hour - in person
